The present disclosure relates to a product storage device and an automatic vending machine.
Typically, for example, a product storage device for storing bottled beverages or canned beverages is proposed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2012-194725. The product storage device proposed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2012-194725 includes product racks, a rack selection mechanism, a take-out mechanism, and a regulating unit.
Each product rack has a plurality of product storage columns arranged in parallel in which products are stored in alignment; and multiple layers of product racks are provided in the vertical direction. The rack selection mechanism sets, in the standby state, all product racks in the state of regulating the products from being taken out. When a vendition instruction is issued, the rack selection mechanism sets the product rack of only the specified layer to the state in which taking out the products is allowed.
The take-out mechanism is individually installed for each of the product storage columns. In a normal state, each take-out mechanism regulates the products stored in the corresponding product storage column from being taken out. When the rack selection mechanism allows the taking out of a product from the product rack including the product storage column in which the take-out mechanism is installed, the take-out mechanism performs operations in response to a product take-out action and allows only the foremost product (the downstream-most product) that is at the foremost position to be taken out.
The regulating unit is individually installed for each of the product racks. When the rack selection mechanism allows the taking out of a product from the product rack in which the regulating unit is installed, the regulating unit allows one of the take-out mechanisms to perform operations and regulates the other take-out mechanisms in the corresponding product racks from performing the operations.